Cheapest Universities in New Zealand: Tuition Fees, Cost of Living and Scholarships

New Zealand is one of the leading study abroad destinations having an excellent educational system and internationally recognised programs. Amid the hoot of top universities in New Zealand across the world, the cheapest Universities in New Zealand as well offer a wide variety of courses belonging to various fields like Arts, Business and Law, Education, Health and Human Development, Engineering, and Science.

New Zealand falls under the top 20 countries to offer quality education to international students. With cost living 239% higher than in India, cheapest universities become of utmost importance for international students. There are 8 state-funded universities, 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) and about 550 Private Training Establishments (PTEs), to study in New Zealand.

The tuition fee is estimated to be lower when compared to studying in the USA or UK. Main cities in New Zealand where most of the international cities opt for are Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton. According to numbeo, New Zealand is ranked 20th in terms of cost of living; while the UK & USA are ranked 27th and 28th. This indicates the need for cheap universities in New Zealand for international students.

Cheapest Universities in New Zealand for UG Programs

Cost of pursuing undergraduate programs at New Zealand can cost an international student around NZD 22,000- NZD 32,000. In spite of various scholarships affording education abroad does put a burden on international students.

However, one can look for the cheapest universities in New Zealand to pursue their higher education. Some of them along with fee structure are tabulated below:

University
Annual Tuition Fees (NZD)
Popular Courses

Southern Institute of Technology
17,000
IT, Commerce, Marketing, Nursing

Universal College of Learning
20,000 – 23,000
Applied Business, Social Services, IT,

Eastern Institute of Technology
17,000-25,000
Computing, Business, Veterinary Sciences, Education

Laidlaw College
20,400
Counselling, Education, Theology

University of Waikato
25,915 – 37,875
Psychology, Health, Engineering, Computing Science, Education, and Management

University of Canterbury
27,000
Law, education, health, human development, engineering

Massey University
27,770
veterinary medicine, aviation, dispute resolution, and nanoscience

Victoria University of Wellington
26,150
Management, Law, Government, Finance, Economics, Information Management, Architecture, and Design

University of Otago
27,156
Business, Science, Humanities, and Health Science

Lincoln University
29,100 – 31,000
Agribusiness & Commerce, Agriculture & Life Sciences, and Environment

Auckland University of Technology
30,092
business, clinical science, communications, education, hospitality, law

Top Scholarships in New Zealand for UG Programs

42% of universities in New Zealand are funded through government’s grants, this indicates the investment of the government in higher education. A wide range of scholarships at undergraduate level, on behalf of charitable trusts, private donors, industry and other benefactors are administered.

Though New Zealand scholarships are highly competitive and not all are based solely on academic achievement, one should consider factors such as country of origin, area of study, extracurricular achievements or leadership potential. Most scholarships have non-negotiable criteria and requirements, so matching up with the same is the only option.

Some of the scholarships along with the value and benefits one can aval via it are as follows:

Scholarship
Host Body
Scholarship Value (NZD)

UCOL Scholarship for Effort and Achievement
Universal College of Learning
1,000

International First Year Undergraduate
University of Canterbury
10,000, 15,000 or 20,000

International Student Excellence Scholarship
University of Auckland
10,000

Tongarewa Scholarship
Victoria University of Wellington
5,000 to 10,000

International Excellence Scholarship
University of Waikato
NZD 10,000

Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship
Lincoln University
NZ$5,000

Cheapest Universities in New Zealand for PG Programs

According to Chris Whelan, the executive director of Universities New Zealand, after graduation 97% of the students get employment in New Zealand and 90% of them get into job profiles that are relevant to the course they’ve pursued. This indeed is a great fact to be noted, since job opportunities are one of the major concerns as an international student.

On a good note, job opportunities are in profusion. But one should definitely look for the cheapest university in the country. Since, PG courses come in two types : a taught program and a research based program; the university tuition fees are going to differ. But some of the cheapest universities for PG courses can be found below.

University
Annual Tuition Fees (NZD)
Popular Courses

Southern Institute of Technology
24,000
Agriculture, IT, Research based courses

University of Waikato
31,615 – 39,125
Electronic Engineering, agribusiness, CS, MBA

University of Canterbury
30,250
Data Science, Engineering, Health Sciences

Massey University
31,010
Analytics, Business Studies, Counselling, Nutritional Science

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT)
19,826 – 30,000
Civil engineering, Aviation, Business, IT

Victoria University of Wellington
29,050
Economics, Political Science, Architecture and Social Sciences

University of Otago
22,712
Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, MBA

Lincoln University
29,100 – 57,600
Agricultural Science, Accounting(CPA), Applied Sciences

Auckland University of Technology
32,095
Analytics, Health science, MBA, Engineering

Top Scholarships in New Zealand for PG Programs

Masters in New Zealand scholarships are offered as fellowships, apprenticeships and assistantships. Many scholarships and bursaries are also offered directly by the New Zealand government, and various private and public establishments as well. Mentioned below are some of the scholarships one must look forward to as an international student in New Zealand.

Scholarship
Host Body
Scholarship Value

International Excellence Scholarship
University of Waikato
NZD 10,000

ADB-Japan Scholarship Program
The Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program
full tuition fees, a monthly subsistence and other allowances

Sir Neil Isaac Scholarship
School of Earth and Environment at University of Canterbury
$20,000 per annum

Tongarewa Scholarship
Victoria University of Wellington
NZ$5,000 to NZ$10,000

International Excellence Scholarship
University of Waikato
NZD 10,000

Wellington Master’s by Thesis Scholarship
Victoria University of Wellington
$15,000

Owen Browning Scholarships in Forestry
University of Canterbury
Full Tuition Fee

Education Endowment Trust Scholarship
AusIMM
$5,000

When applying to any of these scholarships, make sure you check the criteria carefully, along with the application closing date. Since, each scholarship/bursaries/grants has its own rules and regulations which describe the eligibility criteria and requirements for applicants and the scope of the scholarships to study abroad.

Cheapest Universities in New Zealand for MBA

One of the interesting facts to be noted here is that MBA in New Zealand is the 5th highest paying degree for graduates and alumni and its ROI is higher than other top countries like USA and Canada. To get into MBA courses with B-schools in New Zealand, you will need a bachelor’s degree with 70% or more scores, language proficiency test scores (TOEFL & IELTS accepted), and work experience around 3-5 years. Applications for most universities are invited on a rolling basis, international applicants are, however, suggested to apply early to ensure enough time is left for obtaining the visa.

University
Annual Tuition Fees (NZD)

University of Auckland
67,097

Massey University
52,530

Victoria University of Wellington
32,851.20

Otago Polytechnic
36,050

Whitireia New Zealand
31,357

Unitec Institute of Technology
24,850

AUT University
53,715

University of Canterbury
54,450

Accommodation at Cheapest Universities in New Zealand

International students in New Zealand need to find a place to stay during their period of study. The student accommodation facilities can be: University-managed or private rental, furnished or not, and catered or self-catered.

Most universities provide accommodation for international students, but if you don’t get a place there, you can find information on private rentals on the university websites too.

University
Annual Fee (NZD)

Universal College of Learning
3,000-6000

Lincoln University
13,620 – 17,511

Unitec Institute of Technology
13,440 – 26,880

Massey University
13,840 – 16,642

University of Otago
16,340

University of Auckland
18,000 – 19,776

University of Canterbury
19,000 – 22,000

Cost of Living in New Zealand

A basic of NZD 1,250 per month of living expenses would be required as an international student in New Zealand. However, the cost of living in New Zealand is variably going to differ based on the location, type of accommodation, meal plan and lifestyle you follow.

The cost of living in New Zealand would include:

Groceries – NZD 100-150 per week
Utilities – NZD 291 per month
Entertainment – NZD 50 per week
Telecommunication – NZD 19 (starting price)

The cost of living at various student cities is tabulated below.

City
Accommodation
Cost of Living in NZD

Rotorua
780
792

New Plymouth
750
923

Hamilton
1,100
929

Auckland
1,681
1,490

Wellington
1,700
1,291

Christchurch
1,650
1,322

Dunedin
1,050
1,333

One can save a lot of money on food expenses, which costs around NZD 43 per day, by not eating out too often. To cut down on grocery expenses, you can find a lot of offers in big grocery chains, and even at the local farmers’ market.

According to the Global Peace Index 2021, New Zealand ranks second in the world. There are a number of options for you to lower the cost of education as an international student in New Zealand. Minimum wage set in New Zealand is NZD 18.90/hour. The student visas of New Zealand usually allow full-time students to work up to 20 hours a week during the academic year and up to 40 hours a week during the summer break. This indicates that one can earn enough to get through miscellaneous expenses via part time jobs

Part-time jobs, assisting professors at university, online tutoring, freelancing and studying at the cheapest universities in New Zealand can turn out the best for an international student pursuing education in New Zealand. So, getting into the mentioned cheapest universities in New Zealand and making efforts to avail scholarships with some part time earnings can do wonders to an international student.